Ahead of the Asia Cup, Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Haris has attracted attention for his recent comments. Haris, who was part of the squad led by Salman Agha that secured a 2-1 T20I series win against West Indies in the Caribbean last month, addressed Babar’s exclusion from the Asia Cup squad by referencing his strike rate.
In addition to suggesting that Babar should increase his strike rate to return to the shortest format, the manner in which Haris conveyed his view has prompted discussion.
Some fans responded critically to Haris’s statement about Babar.
In an interview that has gone viral on social media, Haris, the 24-year-old wicketkeeper-batter, was asked if Babar should alter his batting technique in the shortest format. Haris agreed with the suggestion.
Asked, “Tez ya slow (fast or slow),” Haris laughed and chose fast.
Both Babar’s supporters and experts, including former cricket players, appear to have taken offense by his laughter when asked about Babar’s strike rate.
Haris’ comment drew criticism from former Pakistani athletes.
Haris was criticized by former Pakistani batsman Basit Ali and former wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal for his comments regarding Babar’s strike rate. Basit even suggested that Haris should be “beaten with a stick” for disparaging his elder.
Basit stated on YouTube’s The Game Plan show that “Babar Azam deserves to be beaten with a stick if Mohammad Haris claims that he needs to improve.”
Akmal, on the other hand, thought that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) ought to provide cricket players with further training on how to interact with others and avoid contentious situations.
Akmal, who played for Pakistan in 53 Test matches, 157 ODIs, and 58 T20Is, stated on the show that the Pakistan Cricket Board is in charge of training players to respond to these kinds of queries.
But he (Haris) is no longer a child and is aware of everything. In order to improve his own batting and produce game-winning performances for Pakistan, he should have made it plain that he is in no position to comment on Babar and that instead, he has to learn from him,” Akmal continued.
Essentially, Babar and Muhammad Rizwan will not be considered for the T20 World Cup the following year either, as they were excluded from the Asia Cup.
